Apparatus for handling materials



Aug. 5,1930. B. JOHNSEN.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING MATERIALS 3 Sheets-Sheet I 1 Original Filed March 24. 1.927

ATTORNEY Aug. 5, 1930 B. JOHNSEN APPARATUS FOR HANDLING MATERIALS ;Qrigina1 Filed March 24. 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATT'QRNEY Aug. 5, 1930;

B. JOHNSEN APPARATUS FOR HANDLING MATERIALS Original Filed March 24. 1927 5 Sheets-Sheef s INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 5, 1930 UNITED BJORNULF JOHNSEN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNO R TO DAVID S. BAKER, OF

GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT APPARATUS FOR HANDLING MATERIALS Application filed March 24, 1927, Serial No. 17?,911. Renewed October 31, 1929.

This invention relates to apparatus. for handling materials, and aims to facilitatethe movement, and more particularly the treatment, of materials.

The present invention relates to apparatus of the same general character as that described and claimed in the co-pending application of David S. Baker, filed June 27, 1923, Serial No. 647,964, on a substitute for which '1' Patent No. 1,672,404 was issued on June 5,

1928, in which a number of collapsible carriers having carrying elements are moved past aloading station with their carrying elements in edgeto-edge relation, and then through a treatment space with their carrying elements in superimposed relation; and more particularly to an improved apparatus of the same general character described and claimed in a co-pending application, filed by David S. Baker and me as joint inventors, filed March 24, 1927, Serial No. 177,867, in which the carrying elements of each carrier are placed in stepped relation in the treatment space,

and the carriers are moved outwardly on an upper set of tracks and are returned on a lower set of tracks.

The invention relates particularly to an improved means for dumping the material from the carrying elements of the carriers and for raising the carriers from a lower set of tracks to an upper set of tracks. A feature of the invention consists in providing means for effecting the upward movement of the carriers and the dumping simultaneously.

the other portions of which are, however, im-

material so far as my present invention is concerned;

Fig.2 is an enlarged side elevation of the upper part of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 with the tracks nearest the observer removed;

The construction of a carrier is best shown in Figs. 3 and 1. The carrier has a rear connecting member 11 consisting of rigid side bars 12 joined by tie rods 13 and a front connecting member 14 which is similar except that its side bars 15 are slightly closer together than those of the rear connecting memher. A number of trays are mounted on the connecting members 11, 14;. Each tray has on its bottom two spaced cross bars 21 having depending tabs 22 near their front ends. The tabs 22 are pivoted on the tie rods 16 of the front connectingmember 14 while the rear ends of the cross bars 21 are pivoted on the tie rods 13 of the rear connecting member 11. The distance between the adjacent tie rods of each connecting member is equal to the length Z of one of the trays 20 so that the trays may be brought into edge-to-edge relation in a common plane by bringing the front and rear connecting members together as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. In this position, one edge of the side bars 15 oi the front connecting member comes in contact'with the tie rods 13 of the rear connecting member as shown in Fig. 4. By spreading the connecting members apart the trays 20 may be brought into superimposed relation. The connecting members serve to keep the trays parallel in all positions thereof. Supporting members are hinged to the upper tie rods 13", 16 of the rear and front connecting members outside the side bars of the connecting members. The supporting members like the cross bars 21 have depending tabs 32 which are pivoted on the upper tie rod 16 so that the supporting members are always parallelto all the cross pieces 21 and to the trays. Each supporting member is provided with two flanged wheels of which the rearmost 33 faces outwardly while the front one 3 1 faces inwardly. Projecting along the axes of the front wheels 3% are fingers 35 each provided with two grooves-36, 3?. At the ends of the lowest tie rod 16 of the front connecting member are a pair of outwardly facing flanged wheels 38 which lie wholly inside the supporting surfaces of the wheels 33.

It should be noted that whenever the two upper pairs of wheels 33, as are supported on the same horizontal track, each tray of the carrier will be ho izontal, and that when the lower wheels 33 are supported on a track substantially on a level with that supporting the upper wheels, the trays will be in edge-toedge relation in a common horizontal plane, while when the lower heels are supported on a track well oelow the level of that which supports the upper wheels, the trays will be 1 in superimposed relation.

Tracks are provided for supporting and guiding the carriers by engagement with their wheels. There is an upper track 10 for the upper wheels 33, 3 1, and a lower track of slightly narrower gauge for the lower wheels 38.

The arrangement of the tracks 1O, 50 may best be seen in Fi 1. The tracks have horizontal portions 11, 51 extending under the loading station L in substantially tile same horizontal plane. In. the lower portion of the treatment space T the tracks have spaced horizontal portions 4-4, 54:. Horizontal extensions 15, 55 of the portions 1 1, 54 extend across the dumping station D. Just behind the dumping station I), the tracks have vertical portions 16, 56 lying in substantially the same plane. The portion 46 starts ust above the unct-ion of the portions 1 1 and 415 of the track 10 and extends upward to the point 17 above the loading portion 11 of this track. The vertical portion 56 of the track 50 extends from just above the junction of the horizontal portions 5 1, 55 of this track to a point 5'? below the point 47, with a short interruption at 58 just above a junction of the horizontal portions 424:, 15 of the track 40. A downwardly inclined portion 19 connects the upper end of the vertical portion 16 of the track 4:0 with the front end of its loading portion 11 while an upwardly inclined portion 59 connects the upper end of the vertical portion 56 of the track 50 with the front end of its loading portion 51.

Automatic movement of the carriers 10 along the tracks is secured by conveyors.

Each conveyor consists of two chains having reaches lying close to a portion of one of the tracks and provided with flights for engaging a part of each carrier 10. A load conveyer 60, consist ng of a pair of chains passing over sprockets 61, and other sprockets not shown and provided with flights 63 which engage the outer grooves 36 of the fingers 35 of the carriers, draws each carrier past the loading station L. A lower treatment conveyor 110, consisting of chains passing over sprockets 111, and provided with flights 113 which engage the lowest tie rod 16 of the rear connecting member 1 1 of each carrier near its outer ends, moves the carriers through the lower portion of the treatment space T. A dump spacing conveyer 120, consisting of two chains passing over sprockets 121 and sprockets 122, which are co-axial with and of the same size as the sprockets 112, and provided with a pair of flights 123 which engage the tie rod 16 of each carrier at a distance from its ends, draws the carriers across the dumping station D. A dump elevating conveyer 130, consisting of two chains passing around sprockets 131, 132, over sprockets 133, 13 1, and under sprockets 135, and provided with flights 136 which engage the inner grooves 37 of the lingers 35 or" each carrier, moves the carriers vertically upward at the dumping station and then back to the loading station. The sprockets 134 have recesses 134' for the flights 136 (Fig. 2).

The mechanism for driving the conveyers consists of well-known mechanical elements. he load conveyor is driven from a main drive shaft 1 10 by a connection not shown in the drawings. The drive of the lower trea ment conveyor includes: shaft 140, worm 115, gear 116, sprocket 117, chains 118 (with intermediate sprockets 118), sprocket 119, sprocket 112. The drive of the dump elevator conveyor 130 includes: shaft 140, worm 115, gear 116, sprocket 137, chain 138, sprocket 139, and sprocket 132. The dump spacing conveyor is driven from the dump elevator conveyer 130 through: sprocket 131, sprocket (fixed on same shaft), chain 126, sprocket 127, sprocket 121.

Various means for supporting the tracks and working parts shown in Fig. 1, can readily be arranged by any competent builder, and the particular form of such supporting means is not a vital feature of the present invention. 4

The apparatus which should he used for loading the trays at the loading station L depends upon the nature of the material to be treated. If this material is of .a somewhat viscous nature, the loading apparatus may include a chute L a roller L at the bottom of the chute, and a scraper L to scrape material from the roller and direct it into the trays. The apparatus for receiving the material at the dumping station D may consist of a hopper D at the bottom of which is a screw conveyer D I The operation of the device described is as follows:-

As the lower Wheels 38 of each carrier, moved by the'conveyer 110, arrive directly over the aXis of the sprockets 112, 122, the

Ian:

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. the tracks.

carrier is engaged by the single pair of pickers 123 of the spacing conveyer 120, and moved forward rapidly across the hopper D at the dumping station. On being released by these pickers, it is stopped by engagement of its lower wheels 38 with bumpers 17 4 near the ends of the horizontal portions 55 of the track 50. Thisnbrings its upper wheels in front of the verticalportions 46, 56 of As soon as the carrier reaches this position, its fingers are engaged by a pair of pickers of the dump elevating con veyer 130, which raise its front upper wheels 34 vertically along the vertical portion 46 of the track 40. As soon as this movement has lifted its rear upper wheels 33 clear of the portion of the track 40, its rear connecting member 11 is no longer supported. and falls against its front connecting member 14, bringing its trays edge-to-ed e in the inclined plane of the connecting members, so that part of the material contained in the trays is dumped into the hopper D As the upward movement of the front upper wheels 34 of this carrier continues, its lower wheels 38 roll back along the horizontal portion 55 of the track inclining the common plane of the trays more and more steeply, and dumping more and more of the material from the trays into the hopper. When the wheels 34 of the carrier have been raised to a distance above the horizontal portion of the track 50 equal to the length of the connecting members of the carrier, the connecting members and the trays hang vertically, and the last of the material on the trays falls into the hopper. The entire carrier is then drawn vertically upward with its wheels 33 well as its wheels 34 in engagement with the vertical portion 46 of the track 40, and its lower wheels 38 in engagement with the vertical portion 56 of the track 50 (see Fig. 2). The backward movement of the lower end of the carrier takes place while the pickers 123 of the conveyor 1:20 are returning along the lower reach of this conveyer, and by the time these pickers engage and draw forward the next carrier, the preceding carrier has been raised sufficiently to bring its lower end above the portion 45 of the track 40.

After each carrier has been raised along the vertical portions 46, 56 of the tracks, the carrier is moved to the loading station by the conveyer 130. The connecting portions 49, 59 of the tracks along which the carrier passes in this movement turn from a vertical into a common horizontal plane, so that the trays of the carrier are brought from edgeto-edge relation in a vertical plane to edgeto-edge relation in a horizontal plane. The speed of the conveyor 130 is so much greater than that of the conveyor 60 that the front end of each carrier is brought to the jog 171 in the track 40 by the conveyer 130, just as the rear end of the preceding carrier,

which is being moved by the conveyer 60, reaches this point. Thus the carriers, after being spaced apart during their engagement with the dump conveyers and 130, are brought again into closely spaced relation at the loading station.

W hat is claimed is: l

1. In apparatus for handling materials, the combination with a carrier having two connecting members and carrying elements hinged to them in parallelogram arrangement, of means for supporting both connecting members to hold the carrying elements horizontal, and means for raising the carrier from said supporting means arranged to engage one connecting member only so that the carrying elements tip down and discharge material therefrom.

2. In apparatus for handling materials, the combination with a carrier having two connecting members and carrying elements hinged to them in parallelogram arrangement, of means for advancing the carrier with its carrying elements horizontal, and raising means adapted to engage the upper end of one connecting member and move it vertically upward.

3. in apparatus for handling materials, the combination with a plurality of carriers each having two connecting members and carrying elements hinged to them in parallelo am arrangement, means for moving said carriers closely spaced one behind another with their carrying elements horizontal, spacing'means for advancing the foremost carrier rapidly to move it away from the following carriers, and hoisting means raising one connecting member of the advanced carrier vertically so that the carrier hangs vertically and is raised above the upper end of the slowly moving carrier before the next carrier is engaged by the spacing means.

4. In apparatus for handling materials, the combination with a plurality of carriers each having two connecting members and carrying elements hinged to them in parallelogram arrangement, of means for moving said carriers closely spaced one behind another with the lower ends of their connecting members inclined forward and with their carrying elements horizontal, spacing means for advancing the foremost carrier rapidly to move it away from the following carriers, hoisting means for raising the rear connecting member of the advanced carrier vertically so that the lower ends of its connecting member move backward and upward to a point above the upper ends of the slowly moving carriers before tr e spacing means engages the next carrier. I g V v l 5. In apparatus for handling materials, the combination with a plurality of carriers each having two connecting members and carry i-ng elements hinged to said connecting members in parallelogram arrangement and wheels at the upper ends of both connecting members and at the lower end of one of them, of upper and lower tracks for supportingthe upper and lower wheels of the carriers and separated by a distance less than the length of the carriers, means for slowly advancing the carriers along said tracks with the lower ends of their connecting. members inclined forward, spacing means adapted to engage each carrier as it approaches a dumping station and adva-nce it rapidly from the following carriers, and raising means for engaging the rear upper corner of an advanced carrier and raising it vertically so that its lower wheels move upward above the upper track before the spacing means has engaged the next carrier.

6. In apparatus for handling materials, the combination with a plurality of carriers each having two connecting members and carcit rying elements hinged to said connecting members in parallelogram ar angement, and wheels at the upper ends of both connecting members and at the lower end of one of them, of upper and lower tracks for supporting the upper and lower wheels of the carriers separated by a distance less than the length of the carriers, means for slowly advancing the carriers along said tracks with the lower ends of their connecting members inclined forward, a vertical track, spacing means adapted to engage each carrier just before it reaches said vertical track and move it rapidly forward along the horizontal tracks, raising means adapted to engage an advanced carrier and move its rear upper wheel upwardly along the vertical track, so that its lower wheel moves upwardly to a point above the upper horizontal track before the spacing means engages the next conveyor.

7. In apparatus for handling materials, the combination with a carrier having two connecting members and carrying elements hinged to them in parallelogram arrangement, of means for raising one of the con necting members so that the carrying ole ments hang vertically, means operative thereafter to move the carrier horizontally, and means operative on such movement to place its carrying elements in a common horizontal plane.

8. In apparatus for handling materials, the combination with a carrier having two connecting members and carrying elements hinged to them in parallelogram arrangement, of two tracks having separated ends and converging until they lie substantially in the same horizontal plane, means for raising the carrier vertically until the upper and lower ends of one of its connecting members are at the ends of said two tracks respectively, and means for moving the carrier along the tracks with one end of its said connecting member supported upon each of the tracks, so

that said connecting member is brought into a horizontal plane.

9. In apparatus for handling materials, the combination with a carrier having two connecting members and carrying elements hinged to them in parallelogram arrangement and pairs of wheels of different gauges secured at opposite endsof one of its connect ing members, of a track of one gauge having a downwardly inclined portion and a horizon tal portion, a track of the other gauge having an upwardly inclined portion and a horizontal portion substantially on the level with that of the first track, hoistin means adapted to engage one connecting member of the carrier and to raise it until its wheel-s are at the ends of said tracks, and means for moving the carrier along the tracks until its connecting members and carrying elements are horizontal.

10. In apparatus for handling materials, the combination with carriers each having carrying elements which may be placed in edge-to-edg-e and in superimposed relation, of means for moving the carriers horizontally in one direction, raising them and moving them horizontally in the opposite direction, means operative on the first horizontal movement of the carriers to maintain their carrying elements in superimposed position in horizontal planes, means operative on the vertical movement of the carriers to place their carrying elements in edge-to-edge relation in a common vertical plane, and means operative on the second horizontal movement of the carriers to place the carrying elements of each carrier in edge-to-edge relation in a common horizontal plane.

11. In apparatus for handling materials, the combination with a plurality of carriers each having upper and lower wheels, of upper and lower tracks for supporting the wheels of the carriers separated by a distance less than the distance between the wheels of the carriers, means for slowly advancing the carriers along said tracks with their lower ends inclined forward, a vertical track, spacing means adapted to engage each carrier just before it reaches said vertical track and move it forward along the horizontal tracks, raising means adapted to engage an advanced carrier and move its upper wheel upwardly along the vertical track so that its lower wheel moves upwardly to a point above the upper horizontal track before the spacing means engages the next carrier.

12. In apparatus for handling materials, the combination with a plurality of carriers having upper and lower wheels, of upper and lower tracks for supporting the upper and lower wheels of the carriers separated by a distance less than the distance between the wheels of the carriers, means for advancing the carriers along said tracks in inclined position, a track intersecting said upper and lower my hand.

BJORNULF J OHNSEN. 

